The present invention relates to toolboxes, and more particularly to toolboxes mounted in the cargo bay of a vehicle.
Pick-up trucks and vehicles having open cargo bays are used extensively for transporting purposes. To protect tools and materials transported in a pick-up bed or an open cargo bay from both theft and the elements, it is common to use a toolbox, also referred to as a “utility box,” that includes an enclosed storage space within which items may be stored. Most toolboxes include a door that provides access to the storage space.
Typically, the toolboxes mount across the pick-up bed between the pick-up bed side panels, or along the side panels. These configurations enable a user to access the toolbox door, by standing along side the side panels, rather than having to enter the pick-up bed.
Often, a toolbox includes one or more storage bins that subdivide the storage space and improve organization within the box. Most storage bins are slidably mounted on ledges or rails in the toolbox to facilitate access to items stored under the bins.
Although conventional pick-up bed toolboxes provide a way to protect, access and organize items stored therein, they suffer several shortcomings. First, it is common for items stored in a toolbox to shift in transit, particularly if the vehicle traverses a rugged construction site. In some cases, an item that was placed in the toolbox on one side, or the front, of the pick-up bed may shift in the toolbox to the other side or rear of the pick-up bed. Accordingly, the user must go to the other side of the vehicle or enter the pick-up bed to retrieve the item. This can be frustrating, and usually wastes valuable work time. Second, a user may place an item in a toolbox on one side of a pick-up bed, and later desire to retrieve the item from the other side of the pick-up bed. With a conventional toolbox, the user has no choice but to go to the side that the item was originally placed in the toolbox to retrieve it. Third, where toolboxes are mounted in pick-ups or vehicles having tall ride heights, a user frequently accesses and uses only the storage space immediately adjacent the pick-up side panels because it is difficult to reach over the side panels and access the center of the toolbox. Thus, many times the storage capacity of the toolbox is underutilized.
Furthermore, conventional toolbox storage bins frequently make it difficult to store large items, e.g., large power tools, in the toolbox. Typically, the boxes must be removed from the toolbox to accommodate large items. Often, the bins are lost or forgotten after removal and therefore no longer useful. Additionally, debris, such as dirt or nails, collects on the ledges or rails that support the bins, inhibits the movablility of the bins, and damages the interior of the toolbox.